Project information

Sands - Give a Gift of Support

The death of a loved and much wanted baby is absolutely devastating at any time of the year, but perhaps even more so at Christmas. Sands' Give a Gift of Support will offer a lifeline to bereaved families when they need it the most and help to fund our vital bereavement support services.

Charity information: Sands, the stillbirth & neonatal death charity

Need

Sadly, 15 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in UK and during December alone, over 450 babies will die and not go home for Christmas. The effects on the whole family as well as friends, colleagues and health care staff are far reaching and in so many cases life-long. The quality of care that bereaved families receive when their baby dies has a huge impact on their long-term wellbeing. Good care cannot remove parents’ pain, but poor care can and does make things much worse

Solution

Sands provides vital bereavement support services to bereaved families and works with healthcare professionals, such as midwives and doctors to improve the quality of bereavement care received in hospitals. Many parents and families tell us that it was the support that they received from Sands after the death of their baby that made the biggest difference to their ability to cope with both the initial devastation, but then also in the longer term.

Aim 1

To ensure Sands can offer support to bereaved families this Christmas and into 2019.

Activities

» Helpline - our free helpline provides a safe, confidential place where anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby can find support and info » On-line community – our on-line forum provides a safe space for bereaved parents to connect with each other and share their feelings 24 hours a day » Family Support Packs – our Family Support Packs and bereavement support booklets help to guide bereaved parents through this devastating time » Memory Boxes – our free Memory Boxes provide a place for parents to create and keep precious memories in the brief time they have with their baby

What success will look like

Parents getting the right support at the right time from Sands and that the support received made the biggest difference to their ability to cope following the death of their baby

Impact

Our work will help to break the taboo in talking about baby loss and ensure that bereaved families are not left alone to face the devastating effects that the death of a baby can have. Sands is often contacted by many bereaved parents whose baby died long ago thanking us for our continued support. Our support services are evidence based, easy to access and will continue to reflect the needs of families whether it is immediately following the death of a baby or 40 years after their bereavement

Risk

Sands is reaching even more parents with our bereavement support - building capacity on our helpline and ensuring free family support packs and memory boxes are available where ever they are needed. Sands will continue to offer a range of bereavement support services that are easy to access and that reflect the needs of our bereaved families. We will continue to seek feedback and ensure that our services offer a safe space for families to get the right support and to help remember their babies

Reporting

We regularly update our donors by sharing how their support has helped us to continue to deliver our vital work and support anyone affected by the death of a baby. We do this through a variety of methods; email, e-newsletter, social media, thank you cards, certificates, letters and formal reports.

Location

We are a national charity with a local reach with over 100 local Sands Groups across the UK. Our Central Office is based in London and we also have an office in Glasgow and NI.

Beneficiaries

Beneficiaries
- Bereaved parents
- Long ago bereaved
- Family members including grandparents and siblings and the wider family
- Support for Employers – we offer support to employers on supporting an employee back to work
- Healthcare professionals – training in excellent bereavement care and guidance through our Family Support Packs

Why Us?

Sadly, 15 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in UK, which means every 90 minutes a family experiences this devastating tragedy. Sands is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity and for over 40 years has been supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby and has been the voice for bereaved families across the UK. Please join us as we mark our 40th Anniversary in 2018 and Give a Gift of Support to Sands this year. Thank you.

People

Jen Coates

Director of Bereavement Support - strategy lead for our vital services to support anyone affected by the death of a baby

Our Passionate And Dedicated Helpline Team

First touch point and lifeline for many bereaved parents

Carolyn Bray

Fundraising Manager - passionate and dedicated Carolyn who is a bereaved Mum, has worked for Sands for over 15 years.

Alina O'Keefe

Engagement Manager - communication lead to ensure our messaging to supporters is transparent, engaging and informative.

’’Our beautiful Izzy was born sleeping. She was full term and a hefty 9lb 8oz. She was absolutely perfect. We were both over the moon to finally meet our daughter and devastated beyond words at having to say goodbye all at the same time’’.

Bereaved Mum

‘’Having lost a baby granddaughter, born sleeping 7 years ago at Christmas, I know how it devastated my daughter and all the family’’. Sands support is essential.''

Bereaved Grandparent, December 2017

‘’I’m making a donation instead of sending Christmas cards this year. In memory of our son William Henry. Thanking Sands for their support, and helping the charity continue to do the amazing work they do’’. Bereaved parent, December 2017